| HeraldNet - Snohomish County's online news source |
 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2010 9:54 pm |
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Living 
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Geocachers chase down tiny objects hidden among us Nate Cushman knew tree stumps were a good hiding place.Crouching at an old Snohomish golf course, the librarian pulled a plastic bag out of a fat stump. It held little trinkets and a sheet of paper that had been signed by dozens before him. Cushman was led to the spot using a handheld global positioning system, his GPS device, to demonstrate the increasingly popular hobby of geocaching. "In your daily routine, you could be walking by a geocache every day," he said, "and not know it's there." Geocaching, a hobby that began in 2000, has been gaining steam the past three years, as the tools that make it possible become more accessible. Locally, librarians plan to use geocaching during a series of events this May. Geocaching works like this: Someone hides an object, or cache, noting its coordinates with a GPS device. They post the coordinates on a Web site. Others plug the coordinates into their GPS devices or use sites such as Maps.Google.com to pinpoint the coordinates. Then the hunt begins. The cache is usually a small waterproof box or bag hidden somewhere on public property. The caches aren't buried, keeping in line with an ethos that urges people to respect the outdoors. Usually, geocachers search for trinkets, logging their finds online. Occasionally, however, they have high-profile hunts. For instance, in July 2008, the multiplatinum rock band Nine Inch Nails hid tickets to a California show in a drainpipe. Geocaching.com, a Seattle-based Web site, estimates that more than 2 million people worldwide now participate in the hobby. The site, a leading destination for geocachers, lists more than 775,000 caches worldwide, with 1,600 in a 20-mile radius of Everett and about 30 as far away as Antarctica. Cushman, 40, has searched for caches with his 11-year-old son for a few years, but recently hid his first as part of the Big Read, a community reading of "The Maltese Falcon" hosted by the Sno-Isle Libraries and Everett Public Library. Cushman, who works at the Snohomish Library, said the hobby only loosely connects to Dashiell Hammett's mystery. Really, the hobby is less like detective work and more like a high-tech Easter egg hunt. And, just like an Easter egg hunt, it has a way of grabbing the imagination. It's almost magical, making it no surprise that geocachers sometimes call the general public "muggles," a Harry Potter term for nonmagical people. While Cushman's find in Snohomish was easy to spot, others aren't so simple, adding to the mystery. "The smallest one I ever found was the size of a bullet, basically," he said. "It was a little magnet that stuck underneath a garbage can." Andy Rathbun: 425-339-3455, arathbun@heraldnet.com. |
- A revolutionary 747
- Fire breaks out at Everett car dealer
- Everett rethinks boutique wineries
- A tidy lawn could be law in Lynnwood
- Snohomish County's bargain housing won't last
- Boeing's 747-8 takes off after weather delay
- Plan for I-5 closures this week
- A new bowling alley for Monroe?
- Lake Stevens man homeless after fire
- I-5 bridge joint may give you a jolt, but it isn't damaged
- Vote on school levies by Tuesday
(11) - A tidy lawn could be law in Lynnwood (10)
- State Senate votes to toss I-960's tax-raising hurdle (9)
- Lynnwood sets height limit on grass: 8 inches (8)
- Everett rethinks boutique wineries (5)
- Everett police officers cleared in 2008 shooting death (5)
- 1949 travel aid shows how few places blacks were welcome in Washington (4)
- I-5 bridge joint may give you a jolt, but it isn't damaged (4)
- A new bowling alley for Monroe? (3)
- Toyota has powerful D.C. friends (3)
- Edmonds educator, famous announcer dies
- Mill Creek to appeal ruling on annexation
- Through the air, with the greatest of ease
- E-W thriving under new coach
- The path to citizenship
- EUUC puts on ‘Pants & Shoes’
- Wolfpack wins the ‘Battle'
- Lynnwood’s annexation plans OK’d
- Arlington's Cascade Valley Hospital celebrates expansion, national award and 100 years of service
- Business Licences Feb. 2010
- Technology tips for launching your own business
- Business Events Feb. 2010
- Tech Talk: No excuse today for going without a Web site
- State already raising fees and rates that restrict business growth
- Some legislators again targeting people’s initiative petition rights
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